March 2025 Chair’s Message

 Steve Miller MD

Chair’s March Message by Steve Miller MD
Dear Neighbors,
I hope you are all enjoying living in this wonderful neighborhood. Spring is nearly here and it is fun to watch
things growing in the gardens and the new buds on the trees. I love walking, biking and driving through the Avenues. Each street is so unique and beautiful, and the views of the city and the lake are breathtaking. Thanks for all you do to make this a great place to live. We all pray and hope that we will get the needed water to fill our reservoirs, streams and the Great Salt Lake.
One of the things that I love about our neighborhood are the many acts of kindness that I see every day. I see neighbors bringing trash cans in for other neighbors who are under the weather. I see neighbors visiting with each other on their daily walks. I see neighbors shoveling not only their own walks but those of their neighbors. I see neighbors picking up mail and packages for neighbors who are out of town. Each of these acts of kindness makes our neighborhood a better place to live. I encourage each of you to get to know your neighbors a little bit better, and all help each other in meaningful ways. It could be as small as a smile or a friendly hello, but we can all show kindness to our neighbors.
I would like to give a shout out to so many of you who find ways to be kind to your neighbors and friends. Each community meeting we recognize someone who goes the extra mile to be kind to their neighbors with a $25 gift. If you would like to recommend an extra kind neighbor for us to recognize please let us know. Keep up the kindness and thank you for making this a great neighborhood to live by looking out for each other.

As I write this article, we are in the middle of the worldwide Olympic games with the Para-Olympics to follow. It has been so wonderful to watch the athletes perform, to hear their remarkable stories and to see the world come together in sport and camaraderie. I hope that we can continue to cheer each other on as we strive to make the world a more peaceful and better place to live.

This month you will have the opportunity to participate in caucus meetings for both the Republican and Democratic parties on March 17. I encourage you to get involved and help select great candidates and leaders.  https://precinctportal.org/

Please come to our community meeting on March 4th at the Sweet library. We will hear from those who make this community great, and we will have a special presentation from the Mayor’s office. 

If you have questions or concerns please reach out to me at gaccchair@slc-avenues.org.     Steve

Chair’s February Message by 2026 GACC Chair Steve Miller
Happy February!
It’s nice to see more daylight coming as Spring approaches. We live in such a beautiful part of the world.
I have been out on my usual bike rides along 11th Avenue and into City Creek Canyon, and I’m always amazed at the amazing views that we have from the Avenues, looking out over the valley. I hope each of you had a wonderful January. I am looking forward to our upcoming Community Meeting on February 4th at the Sweet Library at 6:00 p.m. This meeting will also be live on Zoom.
We will be hearing from Beth Parker, an Avenues resident and Associate Professor of Law at the University of Utah
S.J. Quinney College of Law. She is also a Senior Fellow at the College of Law’s Wallace Stegner Center and the Associate Director of the Great Salt Lake Project.
She will be speaking about the importance of preserving the Great Salt Lake and the impact of the Great Salt Lake on the Salt Lake Valley and the Wasatch Front.
We will also be hearing from the League of Women Voters with legislative session tips, as well as our normal community reports.
I look forward to seeing all of you there on February 4th, in person or on Zoom.
In January we had an informative community meeting with our Utah Legislators who are representing all of us during the legislative session. I encourage you to visit our website at www.avenuescouncil.org where we have a recording of our January 7th meeting.      You can hear the comments of Senator Weiler, Senator Plumb and Representative Daily-Provost.
Please take a look at all the other current information on our website including the work of all our committees.
I hope you have a wonderful month and I hope to meet many of you in the neighborhood or at our meetings.
Sincerely, Steve

OUR NEIGHBORHOOD

February 2026 Avenues Community Newsletter “The Agenda”

Advertise With Us

OUR NEIGHBORHOOD

Your Greater Avenues Community Council is paying attention to things happening in our neighborhood and around the City, County and State to bring you the latest information on issues of public concern.

This page is also intended bring you opportunities for your own civic engagement.

You can help make a difference by getting involved!  

Civic engagement is individual and collective action designed to identify and address issues of public concern. 

Civic engagement can take many forms, from individual volunteering, organizational involvement and electoral participation.

The Avenues Civic Engagement Committee encourages Avenues residents to be informed, learn about the issues, let our elected officials know your thoughts, and to vote!

We invite you to attend a 2026 Legislative Preview organized by the Westside Coalition at the Fairpark, Tuesday, January 6th from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.

                                                             

We invite you to attend a 2026 Legislative Preview at the GACC Community Meeting on January 7th, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Avenues Library, 455 N F Street. 

During the meeting we will hear from our Utah Legislators representing the Avenues:  Sen. Jenn Plumb, Sen. Todd Weiler and House Rep. Jennifer Dailey-Provost.

Contact them or see their sponsored legislation at these links:

jplumb@le.utah.gov, https://senate.utah.gov/sen/PLUMBJ/

tweiler@le.utah.gov,  https://senate.utah.gov/sen/WEILET/ 

jdprovost@le.utah.gov, https://house.utleg.gov/rep/DAILEJ/

Bring your questions to the meeting on Jan. 7! 

Participate in the Election Process

Check your voter registration HERE  

See the latest election results HERE

Downtown Entertainment District and Saving Abravanel Hall

What to know, What to do

The City Council voted on July 9th unanimously to accept the proposed project. The next step is a state committee review for approval before the agreement can be finalized. If the agreement is finalized, the City Council will vote later this year on whether to approve a 0.5% sales tax increase and proposed zoning changes to accommodate the plan’s development. Let your council member know your thoughts by email to chris.wharton@slcgov.com or call 801-535-7726.

Read the Proposed Agreement between SLC and the Smith Entertainment Group.

See a comprehensive look at what’s at stake for downtown Salt Lake City in this Dennis Romboy Article in Deseret News

See a recap of the July 9th City Council meeting in this KSL article by Carter Williams

See a Tribune Article by Jordan Miller about the recently formed State Committee reviewing the Agreement.

Announcing The Rio Grande Plan

What is the Rio Grande Plan?    See More HERE

The Rio Grande Plan is a citizen led initiative to take the railroad tracks on the west side of downtown and put them underground. The goal is to eliminate eight at-grade street level  crossings throughout downtown Salt Lake City, which will reconnect the east and west sides of the city, improve resident safety, and make the city easier to navigate.

The Rio Grande Plan has the additional benefit of allowing the reuse and revitalization of the 114-year-old Rio Grande Depot making it the new central shared transit station for Amtrak, Frontrunner, TRAX, and buses.

The Rio Grande Plan also reimagines 125 acres of previously underutilized downtown land. This will reinvigorate the Depot District by removing barriers, make the city more bike and pedestrian friendly by integrating the Green Loop post RGP construction, and allow citizens from all over the state to fully enjoy the city.

If you have any questions or suggestions for the Avenues Civic Engagement committee, please email civicengagement@slc-avenues.org 

OUR NEIGHBORHOOD

2025 Photo Highlights

September 13, 2025, a beautiful day for the 48th Avenues Street Fair!

If you have a photo you’d like to share, please complete the form below:

 

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September 13, 2025, a fun day in the Aves

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The Greater Avenues Community Council is an all-volunteer community group, and there are countless ways for you to get involved! The work to make our community better is done by our volunteer Board of Directors, and by the volunteers on our various committees. 

Committees

The GACC Chair, with the approval of the Board, may establish or dissolve committees of two types:

1. Standing Committees – These address general or long-term issues and exist until specifically dissolved.

2. Ad-hoc Committees – Formed to address fixed or short-term issues and are automatically dissolved on their one- year anniversary unless specifically renewed by the Chair or Board.

Interested persons may apply using this form to volunteer to serve on an Avenues committee:

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• Becoming a Board Member
• Helping with Avenues Street Fair
• Helping with Memory Grove Cleanup
• Serving on a Committee
• Sponsoring GACC

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Committees in which you are interested:

• Avenues Athletic League
• Avenues Grants
• Bylaws and SOP's
• Civic Engagement
• Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)
• Finance
• Land Use/Housing
• Memory Grove Clean-Up
• Memory Grove Foundation
• Nominating Committee
• Orange Crossing Flags
• Popperton Plots Community Garde
• Salt Lake Avenues Community Choi
• Communications Committee*
• Street Fair
• Wildfire Preparednes

*Steering Committee Oversees Newsletter Committee, Web Page Committee, Social Media Committee

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Service Committee Members

Paul Walton, Chair, Lori Galindo, Kirstin Burdge, Amanda Blair, Jenn Beck, Steve Miller

Current Service Opportunities we are working on:

• 1. Promote signups for Volunteers for the Sept 13 Avenues Street Fair

• 2. Fund school lunches for Ensign Elementary School students:
• Dear Friends and Community Members,
• Many students in the Salt Lake City School District have unpaid lunch balances. Even small debts can place a significant burden on families, creating unnecessary stress and hardship.
  Our district is committed to feeding every child, regardless of their ability to pay. While this ensures no child goes hungry, it also places a substantial financial strain on our schools. We are relying on the strength of our community to step in.
  I invite you to join this important effort to reduce and eliminate lunch debt in the Salt Lake City School District. Whether you choose to make a personal donation or a contribution through your business or organization, every dollar truly matters.
  How You Can Help:
  · Donate directly: https://ensign.slcschools.org/make-a-donation
  · Spread the word: Share this initiative with your friends, family, and coworkers.
  · Sponsor a child or a classroom: We can help coordinate your donation to support a specific school or number of students.
  If you have any questions or are interested in getting involved in other ways, please don’t hesitate to reach out. The Salt Lake Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit supporting all schools within the Salt Lake City School District. When you designate your donation for school lunch debt, 100% of your contribution will go directly toward that purpose.
  Please join is in working together to ensure that no family is burdened by lunch debt. Your support will make a lasting impact.
  With gratitude,
  The GACC Service Committee

• 3. The monthly Avenues Community Kindness Award
• Community Kindness Program – Winner for August! by Jenn Beck
• Damon Grayson was nominated by his neighbors on 4th and J who wish to remain anonymous, for “his kindness
  and being a helpful member of the Avenues community. His grandmother lives in the neighborhood and Damon is a walker. He often walks by my home on 4th Avenue at least once a day. Damon is a friendly, outgoing person. When I am in the yard or sitting on my porch, he always says hello and often asks if I need anything. I’m in my 70’s and have taken him up on the offer numerous times over the years, from helping with garbage bins to lifting things for me to shoveling snow in an emergency. Thanks to Damon for being a kind human being and a good Avenues neighbor.” Damon will receive a $25 gift card to an Avenues business of his choice! 
  This award happens every month! Avenues residents can nominate others in the community. Each month The GACC Service Committee will recognize the randomly chosen winner to receive a $25 gift card from an Avenues business of their choice!
  To submit a nominee: 
  1) Send an email to Jenn Beck at jennjbeck@gmail.com
  2) Provide the name and contact info (phone & email if possible) for the person being nominated
  3) Give a brief description of the service/kindness
• Thank you to those who submitted nominations and to all those who serve the Avenues community!

Past Service Committee Projects

2024 – Backpacks for Bryant Middle School

2024 – Volunteer Roundup for Memory Grove Cleanup

2024 – Volunteer Roundup for Avenues Street Fair

Apply to be on the Avenues Service committee:

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you Email interested:

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--- Select state ---AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyomingState

Zip Code

Phone

I am interested in helping: *

• Becoming a Board Member
• Helping with Avenues Street Fair
• Helping with Memory Grove Cleanup
• Serving on a Committee
• Sponsoring GACC

Committees in which you are interested:

• Avenues Athletic League
• Avenues Grants
• Bylaws and SOP's
• Civic Engagement
• Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)
• Finance
• Land Use/Housing
• Memory Grove Clean-Up
• Memory Grove Foundation
• Nominating Committee
• Orange Crossing Flags
• Popperton Plots Community Garde
• Salt Lake Avenues Community Choi
• Communications Committee*
• Street Fair
• Wildfire Preparednes

*Steering Committee Oversees Newsletter Committee, Web Page Committee, Social Media Committee

Comments

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OUR NEIGHBORHOOD

Review what happened.

Meeting Minutes & Zoom Recordings

2025 Zoom Recordings

• Wed. Apr 2nd Community Mtg
  See the Zoom recording HERE
• Wed. Jan 8 Community Meeting
  See the Zoom recording HERE
• Thurs. Jan 9 Board Meeting
  See the Zoom recording HERE

2023 Minutes

2022 Minutes

2021 Minutes

2020 Minutes

2019 Minutes

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A letter asking Utah Public Utilities Commissioners

Rocky Mountain Power Rate Increase –

A letter asking Utah Public Utilities Commissioners to reconsider the recent Rocky Mountain Power rate increase is available HERE.  

Avenues residents are encouraged to read the letter and send it, if you agree:

Attention:
Commission Chair Jerry Fenn,
Commissioner David Clark,
Commissioner John S. Harvey, Ph.D.,

via email psc@utah.gov,

by snail mail to the Public Service Commission, 160 East 300 South, 4th Floor, Salt Lake City, UT 84111, or by fax 801-530-6796.  

See more info about the rate increase HERE  

OUR NEIGHBORHOOD